The Hell Where Youth And Laughter Go
by DaCloak
Summary: The war is changed, three women have a chance to go from NZ citizens to paratroopers of the British Airbourne. Transferred to Easy to 'cement Anglo-American relations', can they survive? Co-written with Golden Wizard.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Hi people. This is my first story for a very long time, sorry about that. I had...things. First, I live in Christchurch, so I've been dealing with large earthquakes for a while. Then, my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. Anyway, this is my first BoB story, and while published on my page, it is co-written with Golden Wizard. The plan is to alternated chapters, from my character's POV, to her character's POV. This first chapter is mine!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Band of** **Brothers(and neither does Wizard)**. **This is purely of entertainment, it's is based of the HBO miniseries and no disrespect is meant towards the real men of Easy Company.**

* * *

_I knew a simple soldier boy  
Who grinned at life in empty joy,  
Slept soundly through the lonesome dark,  
And whistled early with the lark.  
_

_In winter trenches, cowed and glum,  
With crumps and lice and lack of rum,  
He put a bullet through his brain.  
No one spoke of him again._

_You smug-faced crowds with kindling eye_  
_Who cheer when soldier lads march by,_  
_Sneak home and pray you'll never know_  
_The hell where youth and laughter go._

**_Siegfried Sassoon_  
**

**_Suicide in the Trenches  
_**

* * *

Keeping low to the ground, I walked quietly behind the others members of my unit as we quickly traveled across the rather soggy English countryside. We were looking for the 'enemy', who were Easy Company, 101st U.S Airborne. My unit was Baker Company, 6th British Airborne.

My name is Aria Greene, better known to some as Doc Greene. I am a 19 year-old field medic and surgeon, who was transferred to the British Airborne from my home-town of Christchurch, New Zealand. I joined the NZ Army with my two best friends, Sophie 'Squid' Heenan and Lauren 'Golden Wizard' Duke and two, three days into basic training, we were selected to 'boost relations with the British' and were shipped off to join the Airborne. Luckily for me, I was British: born in Plymouth, Devon (my family emigrated to New Zealand shortly after my younger sister Rose was born when I was 6), so I had family here, one of my childhood friends was in my unit, and I fitted in better than my two Kiwi friends.

Oh, did I mention the three of us were women?

Yeah, that expression of shock was the one I got when I marched myself down to the sign up office the minute I graduated Med School to sign up for the Army. After several arguments, I was told that as long as I didn't cause trouble, then I would be allowed to join the Army as a Field-Medic. Of course, once Lauren found out, she literally dragged Squid down to the sign up office and told the officials there that the pair of them were going with me whether they liked it or not and that they'd have to "tie us up and send us home in a sack to stop us!" So they were allowed to accompany me.

Lauren proved to be a brilliant sniper, while Sophie was appointed radioman. We barely had any time for our feet to touch the ground in basic before we were herded onto a troop carrying ship heading out of Lyttleton Harbour in Christchurch, bound for Plymouth. Once there, we joined Baker Company in their paratroop training, and I was very pleased to find Ron Thorne, an old friend of mine from my short childhood in England, was a rifleman in Baker. Long story short, we qualified as paratroops, and then Colonel Cumberland organised a training mission with the American Colonel Sink, setting us against Easy Company. Lauren thinks they're betting on their respective companies.

So, here we are. I stepped over a branch on the ground, being careful not to make a single sound that could alert Easy to our position. I had heard stories about their Captain Sobel, and he made our _lovely_ Captain Warwick seem like the Easter Bunny in comparison. At least we could trust Warwick not to get Baker slaughtered in combat, didn't seem like Easy could trust Sobel the same way though.

Suddenly, Warwick held up a hand and dropped into a crouch, the rest of the soldiers behind him dropping down on instinct. Staring over at him, I watched as he signaled to Lieutenant Fox, who then turned and whispered, "Right, Thorne, Mac, Lynn, you follow me with Doc Greene. Heenan, go left with Duke and Vermeren. Duke, you take any chance you've got to be the best sniper in the regiment!"

Lauren nodded.

"Right, then give them your best shot. Easy knows the rules, anyone 'hit' just yell out and Doc will come get you. Let's go!"

Quickly, I darted to the right after Lt. Fox and the others. Ron turned to me and hissed "You stay close on my tail Doc!" Nodding grimly, I followed him across the fields. Darting down and across the road, we took cover behind a low wall.

Fox peered over the top of our wall, then crouched down again. "Right, here they come, get ready!"

Ron mimicked the Lt. and peered over the wall himself. "Lord, they're right out in the open!" He hissed to me and the tough blonde known as Mac, who was next to me. "Sobel's leading them right into our trap, they don't stand a chance in combat with him."

The men next to me turned as one and rested their rifles on the top of the wall, each one zeroing in on an unsuspecting American. Then all hell broke loose. My boys opened fire on the Americans, who were very quick to retaliate. Lynn, a bespectacled kind-faced man from Exeter went down, mud spread across the front of his helmet. I bent and pulled his helmet off, giving him a quick once-over then decided that he 'died' and sent him back to the starting point where Colonel Cumberland was waiting.

Suddenly, a voice from the left flank screamed "MEDIC!" and I was off, paintballs splattering the ground around me as I ran, one hand on the top of my helmet to keep it on, the other grasping the strap of my medical bag. Reaching the left flank I ducked behind a hedge where Lauren and Squid were crouched, the former lining up her next target through the sight on her sniper's rifle.

"Who's hit?"

Squid pointed out into the road, where Vermeren lay. "He took a shot to the gut."

"Right!"

I lunged over the hedge and darted to my feet, sprinting to Vermeren's side. He looked up at me and smiled weakly. "Hey Doc, how are you this afternoon?"

"Doing good, Vermeren. Squid said you took a shot to the stomach?"

He rolled over so that I could see the mud spread across his jacket. I though quickly, comparing this to combat wounds, then tore open his jacket and shirt. Delving into my bag, I pulled out the packet of sand I had been given to represent sulfa, poured it over his mud-stained stomach then pressed a padded bandage to the mud stain, binding it there with another long bandage.

"Alright Vermeren, looks like you're gonna be okay! Let's get you out of here."

I moved to his head and grabbed a handful of his uniform, bracing myself to drag him to cover, when I heard the click of a pistol near my forehead and looked up into the paint streaked face of Captain Herbert Sobel.

"Dead," he said dismissively, then bent and dragged me to my feet. By now, the gun shots had stopped and both companies were staring at us, interested what Sobel would say to the Limey medic he had just 'killed'.

His hand still tightly gripping my arm, Sobel barked, "How the hell do you think you're gonna save the lives of your company if you're dead, Private?"

I stared, open-mouthed, at the American Captain. What could I say? I couldn't save the lives of my men if I was dead. But should I even be dead? Wasn't it against the Geneva Convention to shoot medical personnel, especially if they were in the middle of treating a patient?

Sobel grip on my arm tighten. "I asked you a question Private!" He barked, "What's your excuse for being killed in combat and leaving your company with limited medical staff?"

"Uh...No excuse sir!"

Sobel's eyes widened as he took in my rather too feminine voice and figure. Looking over his shoulder, I could see the shocked faces of Easy Company, my eyes drawn to the kind face of their medic.

"Greene! What's going on here?" I sent a silent prayer to the heavens as I heard Lt. Fox's voice behind me.

"Uh..."

"She was in the middle of trying to get me back to the hedge, sir," Vermeren cut in from the ground where he still lay. "When she tripped and fell over. Captain Sobel was nice enough to stop and help her to her feet!"

I blinked. Vermeren was lying through his teeth to Lt. Fox. I just hoped Fox hadn't seen what happened for himself.

Sobel seemed to then get over his shock and released his tight grip on my arm, moving over to Lt. Fox.

"Lieutenant, you are aware that you have a woman masquerading as a field-medic in your company!"

"Yes sir, I am aware of the fact that Doc Greene is a woman, and she happens to be one of the best surgeons I have ever met. Further more, Captain Sobel, as it so happens, Doc isn't the only woman in our company!"

As if on cue, Lauren and Squid chose that moment to pop up from behind the hedge. The pair of them had their helmets off, revealing their ponytails. Squid raised a hand in a cross between a sarcastic wave and a salute, while Lauren chose to shoulder her sniper's rifle and call out in her best Irish accent, "Top 'o the mornin' to ye Cap'n Sobel!"

By now, the whole of Easy Company were staring at us with either open mouths or raised eyebrows. I chanced a glance at the kind looking American medic and sent him a small smile when I caught his eye, giving a small mental shriek of glee when he smiled back.

**AN: And that's the end of the first chapter! Please leave a review and tell me what you think!**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: We're back with another chapter! Hope you enjoyed the last one, and thanks to the people who reviewed the last chapter, your comments are always appreciated. Unless they're rude, nasty little comments, in which case if you can't write anything nice, don't write anything at all... Anyway, one with Chapter 2, and Lauren's POV.**

**Disclaimer: We don't own Band of Brothers, and no offence if intended towards the real men of Easy Company. Wizard and I feel nothing but a deep respect for them, and this story is based only on the HBO mini series and is meant only to entertain. Hope that covers everything...  
**

* * *

_I knew a simple soldier boy  
Who grinned at life in empty joy,  
Slept soundly through the lonesome dark,  
And whistled early with the lark.  
_

_In winter trenches, cowed and glum,  
With crumps and lice and lack of rum,  
He put a bullet through his brain.  
No one spoke of him again._

_You smug-faced crowds with kindling eye_  
_Who cheer when soldier lads march by,_  
_Sneak home and pray you'll never know_  
_The hell where youth and laughter go._

**_Siegfried Sassoon_  
**

**_Suicide in the Trenches_**

* * *

Lauren's POV

When I went to sign up to join the US Army, no one at the office could believe what they were seeing. I didn't care. Naturally, I am a defiant, take-no-bullshit kind of person, so I just stared at the registrar and gave my name and age.

"No. Absolutely not. War is not the place for a woman," came the reply. That angered me.

"There is no difference between a 'man's place' and a 'woman's place," I snapped. "There is only work to be done and places to be. And I am the person - NOTE, PERSON - for this. And if you think that I am just going to stand here and take your sexist bullshit, you've got another think coming. I am going to join the army and you have got NOTHING to say that will convince me otherwise. So write my Goddamned name down or I will sit RIGHT here and refuse to leave until you do!"

I breathed out heavily. The registrar opened his mouth, then closed it again and hurriedly scribbled my name and age down on his sheet. Squid and Aria came next. Their names got taken down too, which pleased me some. These official jerks needed to have some serious things set straight with their so-called 'rules'.

So by two best friends and I were in the Airborne Infantry now. And it was incredible. The training was hard, gruelling, but I enjoyed it. And so far, we had been treated just as one of the rest of the men. Until now...

I stared around defiantly at the rest of Easy Company, who were standing with their mouths open, combined with looks of surprise. A few were grinning, though, possibly at my Irish accent? I often find it hard to keep my Goddamn mouth shut. I glanced sideways at Squid who also had her helmet off, and was shuffling her feet in a rather bored fashion. I stepped over and joined Aria, and glared at Sobel.

"Is there a problem sir?" I raised an eyebrow. Then mentally cursed myself. I really need to learn how to keep my tongue in check. Luckily, Sobel was too busy being speechless to punish me for my impertinence.

"Now, Captain Sobel, you continue with your training exercise." Lieutenant Fox said authoritatively. "These two women happen to be the best at what they do. Not so sure about that one though..." he trailed off, looking at Squid. Squid shrugged.

"Uh, I just came along with those two. Against my will. They made me. I don't really want to be here." she explained slightly dismally. I laughed.

"Yo, let's all just get on with it. I wanna shoot someone!" I encouraged jokingly, shouldering my snipers' rifle again and starting to walk backwards. Aria adjusted the strap on her medical bag and followed me back to the hedge with the rest of our company.

"I still don't want to be here," Squid muttered to me, hefting her radio more comfortably on her back.

"Ah, well, none of us do, when Sobel's in charge," a guy behind Squid muttered. He seemed the tough sort. One who doesn't usually take no for an answer.

"Is he really _that_ bad?" I asked in disbelief.

"Oh, you have no idea," the guy replied. "The name's Toye. Joe Toye."

"Duke, Lauren. This is Squid. Just Squid. That's what everyone calls her. And our medic is Aria Greene here." I introduced, smiling at Toye.

"GET BACK TO YOUR POSITIONS, PRIVATES!" Sobel roared at us before we could say any more. Toye nodded to us then hurried back to the hedge he and a few others were crouching behind. Squid, Aria and I ducked low and ran to a large hay-bale opposite to the hedges where Easy Company were.

**AN: Sorry it was short. Next chapter is longer, and you can see it if you review...**


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Yay, another chapter! Squid is staring over my shoulder as I write this, it's kinda freaking me out...She's says it's because she sees movement the same way a cat sees a laser pointer!  
**

**Disclaimer: I don't own it, never will. Based on HBO series and the character portrayed there, no offence meant to the real men of Easy Company.  
**

* * *

_I knew a simple soldier boy  
Who grinned at life in empty joy,  
Slept soundly through the lonesome dark,  
And whistled early with the lark.  
_

_In winter trenches, cowed and glum,  
With crumps and lice and lack of rum,  
He put a bullet through his brain.  
No one spoke of him again._

_You smug-faced crowds with kindling eye_  
_Who cheer when soldier lads march by,_  
_Sneak home and pray you'll never know_  
_The hell where youth and laughter go._

**_Siegfried Sassoon_  
**

**_Suicide in the Trenches_**

* * *

Aria POV

Cpt. Warwick appeared round the corner and walked over to us.

"Lt. Fox, why is Baker just standing around and gossiping like a gaggle of old fishwives?"

Lt. Fox paled, "Uh...just getting a sit rep sir."

"Well, why don't you stop getting a sit rep and you get this goddamn company on the move!"

Lt. Fox whirled around and walked back to the majority of Baker Company.

"Move out Baker, we've got better things to do than stand and talk!"

I turned to Squid and muttered, "Looks like we're on the move again" then plodded off after Baker while Lauren bid farewell to her friend from Easy - I think he said his name was Toye?

"Whoa, wait for me!" Lauren darted up and fell into step beside me.

"What now?" I hissed once I was sure none of the officers would hear me.

"No idea! Guess we just keep doing these little training whatsits until Brass decide to put us into combat..."

I simply smiled and sped up a little to keep up with the guy in front of me.

As it turned out, what Lauren said is exactly what happened.

We kept up with the 'little training whatsits' for a while and drills and so on and so forth until finally we were called into the town hall we were using as a base for a talk from Captain Warwick and Lt. Condell, our Intelligence Officer.

"Right, listen up!" Warwick bellowed as he and Condell strode to the front of the room. There were several maps pinned to the wall, and a couple of sand tables.

Condell gestured to the maps and sand tables, "These here are the plans for the Allied invasion of the Continent!"

Instantly, there was a tense, almost electrical silence, like the men in the room had all suddenly held their breath.

"Baker are going to be part of the forces invading Normandy. Our objective is to help capture one of the two bridges that cross the Orne Canal, and in doing so, help link up the British beachheads.

Condell tapped a place on the map.

"Our bridge is this one here, in the town of Ranville. Several other para-companies and 3 gliders and glider troops lead by Major Howard will be working with us to capture this bridge and Ranville. Any questions?"

No one spoke or moved.

"Good! Then I want all of you to start studying these maps and table so that you know the mission, and where you're supposed to be at what time, off by heart! Clear? Go!"

June 4th

We had been studying the maps and tables for about three days when the order came to get ready to jump. We all marched down to the airfield, and spent the next half hour putting on all our equipment.

"Have you heard that the Americans have a back-up chute?" Lynn asked as he struggled to untwist his harness after having put it on.

"Yeah I did..." I replied, almost totally engrossed in checking the medical supplies in my bag.. I looked up at a loud crash, Lynn had managed to fall over! Sighing, I got up and went over to help him.

"Why on earth didn't you untwist it before you put it on?"

Lynn grinned, "Because then you wouldn't help me."

After everyone was kitted up, we found ourselves waiting to be loaded into the planes.

Eventually, Fox came over and yelled, "We just got the message that the Channel is fogged up! No jump tonight!"

We all groaned and got up to un-kit...Good God it took half an hour to put this on, how long would it take to take it all off and put it away? Bloody Hell...

Eventually, we were on the planes and winging our way towards Normandy on the morning of June 6th, 1944. I was sitting near the door, next to Lauren and Squid. From where I was sitting, I could hear one of the officers arguing with our Polish pilot, who didn't seem to be able to understand English very well, or read maps.

Suddenly, the air was filled with the sounds of anti-aircraft guns and bullets came whistling through the sides of the plane. The plane rocked and rolled from side to side and I had to grab Lauren to stop myself from falling over. The red light came on and the officer yelled at us to stand up and hook up.

"Equipment check!"

I felt the man behind me going over my equipment as I checked Lauren's and gave her a slap on the shoulder just as I received one myself.

"Sound off"

Men's voices came along the plane, each one bellowing a number at the top of their voice to be heard over the roar of the engines and flak.

"Three okay!" I shrieked as soon as it was my turn, and heard Lauren and Squid yelling out their own numbers.

"Stand in the doorway!"

We all moved forwards, and Squid put her hands on the outer rim of the door. The green light flashed on, the officer yelled "GO!" and Squid plunged out of the plane, quickly followed by Lauren. As I was moving to the door, an explosion ripped through the fuselage of the aircraft and fire rushed towards me from the engine. I was hurled from the plane just as it exploded completely. I felt the heat from the fire, the sharp tug from the prop blast and my parachute opening and burning agony in my shoulders and upper arms as I was struck with flaming shrapnel.

My feet hit the ground, my head hit a rock and everything was sucked into a painless black void.

**AN: Please review...**


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Hey people, I'm back with another chapter, from Lauren's POV. Yes I know it's short *cringes*, but the next one will be longer. Promise?**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Band of Brothers, and I never will. This story is based off the HBO mini-series, and no disrespect is meant towards the real members of Easy Company.**

* * *

_I knew a simple soldier boy  
Who grinned at life in empty joy,  
Slept soundly through the lonesome dark,  
And whistled early with the lark.  
_

_In winter trenches, cowed and glum,  
With crumps and lice and lack of rum,  
He put a bullet through his brain.  
No one spoke of him again._

_You smug-faced crowds with kindling eye_  
_Who cheer when soldier lads march by,_  
_Sneak home and pray you'll never know_  
_The hell where youth and laughter go._

**_Siegfried Sasson_  
**

**_Suicide in the Trenches_**

* * *

Lauren POV

I was falling through the air, all bearings lost as landscape roared around me. At least I had made it out of the plane before it blew up. Some men hadn't made it out, poor sods. That'll be a few more letters to write to the families back home.

As soon as I hit the ground - rather well-executed if I say so myself - I ducked low to the ground, sneaking furtive glances all around and ensuring I didn't make a sound. Shit. My leg-bag had been ripped away during the jump. At least I still had my sniper's rifle and main pack. But where the hell were Squid and Aria? Bugger all this bullshit.

I stood up, crouching but still able to move quickly, and ran for the cover of a nearby copse of trees. There was no one around, so either I was in completely the wrong place... or everyone was. A slight rustle behind me made my ears prick, and I readied my rifle.

"Flash?" I hissed.

"Th... OW! Thunder... Wait, what?" came the muttered reply. I sighed. No one else but Squid could arse up the simple call and response.

"Come here, idiot. And keep bloody quiet," I whispered, dragging Squid out of the bush she had managed to trip into.

"What was with the Yank call and response?" Squid murmured as we walked stealthily through the trees.

"Born in Michigan, might I remind you," I replied. "And don't ever call me Yank again. Not cool."

I heard Squid shrug in the near-darkness. "Whatever, Yank..."

I chose to ignore this. There were more pressing matters at hand. Like where the bloody hell we _were_.

"You got a map?" I asked Squid quietly.

"No," came the reply.

"Shit..." I whispered.

"FLASH?" came a soft call from a few voices through the woods.

"Thunder!" I called back. Definitely Americans.

Several men emerged from trees around us, and while I was glad to find some company, I was dismayed at their evident lack of weapons.

"What, no more guns?" I hissed.

"Lost in transition," one guy explained.

"Ah, looks like we found two of the broads!" another added to his friend.

I marched right up to him.

"Listen, boyo, we don't appreciate being talked about like that, and furthermore, I bet I could knock your arse flat any day. That understood, son?" I snarled. The guy backed off slightly. Good.

"I like this one, Cobb!" Cobb's friend laughed quietly.

"Sad to say the feeling isn't mutual," I smirked.

"Shame, Gonorrhea," some people muttered, laughing.

"Now we gonna stand around yappin' all day or are we gonna get a move on?" I continued, although I was grinning too.

Murmured agreements came from the small group of men, and we trudged off in search of our own companies.

"Gonorrhea?" I frowned as we walked, confused.

"My name's Guarnere. But everyone calls me Gonorrhea." Guarnere explained.

I smiled. "Classy. So what company are you?"

"Easy," Guarnere replied. "You?"

"Baker. 6th British Airborne. Seems like we're both a long way from where we're supposed to be." I sighed.

"Wait, 6th British? You guys are supposed to be all the way at Ranville!"

"I know." I shook my head. "But this whole thing is so screwed I don't even think it matters any more."

"Hey, who's that dawdling at the back?" Cobb interrupted.

I turned around... and sighed. Who else...?

"SQUID!" I called as loudly as I dared in the silent forest. "Get your arse up front!"

Squid grumbled, stumbling along a bit faster.

"Don't laugh at me," she muttered as a few of the guys started to snigger as she ran past.

"One thing I'm worried about though," I whispered to Squid, losing my smile, "Where's Aria?"

"I really don't know. I saw the plane go up in flames but I have no idea what happened to her after that." Squid replied forlornly.

I bit my lip sadly. I hoped she was alright. Either she was hiding out somewhere, or the Krauts had found her... or the worst...

Shit. Don't think about that. She'll be fine. She'll be fine...

**AN: Heh, cliffhanger. Well, sort of anyway. Please review, and I will update as soon as possible.**


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: Hey people, I am finally back with another chapter. My deepest apologies for the long wait, but I had a lot of things to do etc, etc. Thank you to anyone who left a review or favourited/followed my story. I will try to update more often, but that may not happen as I am starting the International Baccalaureate program and my time for writing will be quite thin on the ground, and so will my partner in crime, Golden Wizard.**

**Anyway, enjoy this chapter and leave a review if you wish. Also** _this _**is German in this chapter, if I haven't mentioned that before, and will be for the rest of the story.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Band of Brothers, I am not HBO. Also, this story is based only off the characters portrayed in the mini-series and not disrespect is meant to the real members of Easy Company.**

* * *

_I knew a simple soldier boy  
Who grinned at life in empty joy,  
Slept soundly through the lonesome dark,  
And whistled early with the lark.  
_

_In winter trenches, cowed and glum,  
With crumps and lice and lack of rum,  
He put a bullet through his brain.  
No one spoke of him again._

_You smug-faced crowds with kindling eye_  
_Who cheer when soldier lads march by,_  
_Sneak home and pray you'll never know_  
_The hell where youth and laughter go._

**_Siegfried Sassoon_  
**

**_Suicide in the Trenches_**

* * *

Aria's POV

Ugh. Pain is a bitch. As my mind filtered back, all I could think of for a moment was how much everything hurt! Especially my head and arms -_ Holy shit, there's a guy leaning over me!_

I sat bolt up right, and grabbed the nearest thing, which happened to be a large rock, as my head swam.

"Whoa, easy. Be careful, you took quite a hit to the head."

"What the hell? What happened?"

"Your plane blew up. Didn't see if anyone else made it out. You got hit by some of the shrapnel, and you have burns up your arms. I've been tryin' to treat you the best I can with what I got, but-"

He broke of and threw himself to the ground next to me as a burst of gunfire nearby echoed over the countryside.

I scrambled onto my knees, and stared out into the darkness. Where had those shots come from? Oh _shit,_ German anti-aircraft nest. And it was very close.

Turning back to the medic, for that was what the patch on his shoulder told me he was, I hissed, "I think we should get out of here before they find us!"

"Yeah." He got into a crouch, low to the ground and started moving away from the nest, into the forest. "This way, it's the way I came to get to you."

Oh, okay. I'm just gonna follow an American medic I don't even know through the forest of France with Germans trying to kill us! Such fun! Who the hell _was_ this guy. I sped up and fell into step next to him, as we tried to make our way as quietly as we could through the forest.

"Seeing as we're probably going to be stuck together for a while, mind telling me your name?" I asked as quietly as I could.

He half turned his head to look at me as he answered, "Corporal Eugene Roe, medic with Easy Company of the 506th. You?"

Ohhh. He was the medic from that failed training op back in England.

"Corporal Aria Greene, medic with Baker Company, 12th Devonshire. We were both part of that failed training op back in Aldbourne. The one where Sobel said he shot me, then Lauren started mocking him..."

"Yeah, I remember. What are you doing this far outta your drop zone? You're meant to be in Ranville, not round here."

"Polish pilot who can't read a map, or speak English."

"Right. That would cause a problem."

We paused, standing on the edge of the forest we were in.

"Where are we going?" I hissed to Eugene.

"Easy company has a meeting point, sort of HQ somewhere. I think we should make for that, then you can focus on finding your unit from there."

"That would work."

And so we set off again, picking our way as quietly as we could through the French countryside. Suddenly, a noise to our left made us stop. Eugene and I glanced at each other as the painful realisation that we were both medics, and therefore unarmed, finally sunk in. If the noise was German in origin, and was in possession of a firearm, then I could do little to defend myself. Sure I had taken a few self defence classes, and as a medic I knew how it cause major damage to a human body, but against a German with a gun? I could practically hear Eugene thinking, and knew by the expression on his face that if the worst came to the worst, he would put his own safety second and defend me, as I was a woman. Not that it would do much good, as we were both in the same boat here, but it's the thought that counts.

Steeling myself for the worst, I took a deep breath, and left our path to investigate. And sucked in a shocked gasp as I came across the noise. About two metres off the path Eugene and I had been forging, was a wounded German. He was lying in the long grass, blood soaked through the front of his pristine grey uniform. Sweat and blood covered his face, and his dark hair was damp and slicked back, his helmet lying a few feet away.

I froze, and turned to look at Eugene, who had followed me, silently asking what to do. We couldn't just leave him, even if he was a German. We could just bandage him up as best we could, then leave him here. A patrol would pick him up. Eugene sighed, then moved to one side of the German, kneeling down to examine him. I bent down to help, moving the German's jacket and shirt open to get a better look at his stomach wound. As soon as my hand brushed his exposed stomach, his head snapped up.

"_Who are you?"_

Moving back to give Eugene more light as he went to work, I answered, "_Medics. We're going to help you."_

He frowned at me. _"You are not German!"_

"_No, British. My companion is American. I'm a medic, I'm trained to help the wounded. You are wounded. Therefore we are helping you."_

And I went back to helping Eugene, who was trying to use as little of his supplies as he could, saving them for Allied wounded. We worked in silence for a while, before the German spoke again.

"_What are your names? I wish to know the identities of my Allied benefactors."_

This time, Eugene looked questioningly at me.

"He wants to know our names. Says he 'wants to know the identities of his Allied benefactors."

"Tell we'll tell him ours if he tells us his."

I relayed that to the German, who smiled slightly and replied, "_Willi Vrielski."_

"Eugene Roe."

"Aria Greene."

Willi gaped at me, "_You're a woman?!"_

"_Yes. Do you have a problem with that?"_

"_No, I-"_

He was cut off as Eugene drew the bandage I had fashioned out of Willi's shirt tight around his stomach. Eugene stood, brushing off his hands on his trousers.

"There, done. Now we gotta move, before a patrol comes along."

He moved back towards the path we had been moving along before. I stood and went to follow him, when Willi's hand clamped down on my arm.

"_Thank you for helping me. You didn't have to, and I appreciate what you both did."_

I smiled at him, then darted off after Eugene.

As I fell into step beside him, I said quietly, "Thank you. For helping me treat him. You didn't have to, and both Willi and I appreciate what you did."

He sighed again. "No, it's fine. You were right, once we found him, we couldn't just leave him to die. Least now he stands a chance of a life after this war."

We walked for what seemed like an age before we finally came in sight of a mud track and an old barn just as light started to peak over France.

As we tramped through the mud, an officer ambled over to greet us.

"Doc, glad to see you made it."

"Lieutenant Nixon."

Nixon frowned, "Who's this?"

I opened my mouth, but Eugene got there first. "Aria Greene, she's a medic from the British Airborne. Missed her drop zone and ended up here."

Recognition flashed in Nixon's eyes. "Right, the surgeon from the training op. You any good?"

"My CO says I'm one of the best, sir."

"Right, then you can set up shop here with Doc for now, till our CO turns up and we can figure out what to do with you."

Just then, another soldier walked up. "Well, if it ain't the little Brit she-medic everyone's been talkin' about. How're you gonna do your job with those small, womanly hands o' yours?"

I raised my head slightly. I was fed up with damn American paratroopers making quips about my competence as a surgeon just because I was a female.

"One day, private, you're going to be glad I've got 'small womanly hands' as they'll do less damage when they're buried in you belly trying to rearrange your innards."

I snorted with angry amusement.

"Why does everyone keep questioning me? Are my abilities, my competence as a surgeon somehow dictated by the fact I have breasts? All that means is that I have more flesh on my chest, and less in my pants than the rest of the medics around here. They don't get in anybody's way, and they're not doing any harm, so I really don't see why my breasts, or rather my possession of them should bother you."

Nixon tried to smother his laughter, and nodded at me in approval.

"Get back to Fox company, private."

And with that, he walked off.

Eugene shot me an odd look as we walked off to set up shop in the building.

"What? I'm fed up with people doubting me."

"Yeah, I know. It's just..."

"...You don't approve of my methods?"

"You were a little blunt."

I sniggered. "A little?"

Eugene smiled.

"Hah, I made you smile! My work here is done."

I sighed, then, suddenly feeling drained.

"I'm not usually like that. Normally I'm very quiet, the 'wouldn't say boo to a goose' type."

"Well, this has been an odd day."

"It has that."

**AN: I hope you enjoyed this chapter now that I finally updated, and feel free to leave a review if you liked it, didn't like it, want to give me tips for the story etc.**


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